1. The American Legion Post 176 General Membership Meeting was called to order at 1940 on 4 September 2007, with Commander Lipscomb presiding.

a. The Adjutant called roll. All officers were present with the exception of Finance Officer Cable, Sgt-at-Arms Phillips, and Committeeman-at-Large Brado who were excused. The Committeeman-at-Large position held by Klaus Dahlke is vacant.

b. A motion was made and carried to dispense with reading of the minutes of the 7 Aug 07 meeting. In accordance with the motion carried at the 5 Sep 06 General Membership Meeting, minutes of the previous meeting will be published on the Post Web site.

c. Commander Lipscomb introduced Bill Strawsburg, the 17^th District Commander, and two of his Vice Commanders, Mark Duke and Marv Rodney. Commander Strawsburg commended Post 176 for its great work on the 2008 membership drive. The Post is at 62.6% of the 2008 goal.

d. Commander Lipscomb made the following announcements:

1.) The Post is working with 17^th Air Force to support Honor Flights of WWII veterans coming to D.C. to visit the WWII Memorial. The Post will bus veterans to the Memorial on 8 Sep.

2.) The Post tailgate party on 9 Sep will feature a crab feast from 1-5 PM.

3.) Post 180 is having their annual picnic on 15 Sep.

2. Committee Reports were as follows:

a. 1^st Vice Commander Stone reported on the following activities:

1.) Membership Committee: Fourteen candidates were presented for membership tonight (4 new members, 4 renewals, and 6 transfers). The names of new members were read and approved in block. The names of transfer members also were read and approved in block. This brings our current total to 1100 members.

2.) Legion Baseball: The Post baseball team had a very good 2007 season. The team finished fourth in the District tournament.

3.) Ways and Means Committee: The pig roast is scheduled for Friday, 14 Oct, starting at noon. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.

b. 2^nd Vice Commander Tesla reported on the following activities:

1.) Blood Drive: The bi-monthly blood drive was held at the Post on 21 Aug. Forty-four good units of blood were collected. The next blood drive is scheduled for Tuesday, 16 Oct 07.

2.) Scouting: John Sawyer has volunteered to help with a Sea Scout troop sponsored by the Coast Guard Auxiliary. The Sea Scouts are a senior group of Boy Scouts. On 8 Sep, six scouts and three adults will attend a Safety at Sea program in Maryland.

3.) Sons of the American Legion (SAL): The SAL is out for the summer, but they have several new programs scheduled for this year.

c. 3^rd Vice Commander Bailey reported on the following activities:

1.) Adopt-a-Highway: The quarterly highway clean-up was held on 29 Aug 07. Members of Post 176 and Edison High School Junior ROTC cleaned a two mile stretch of road along the Franconia-Springfield Highway.

2.) Bingo: Bingo is doing well. The actual game is making money, resulting in a monthly profit of $1100-$1400 for the Post. High attendance is anticipated starting in the Fall.

3.) Junior Law Cadets: John Sawyer has volunteered to chair this activity.

4.) Junior ROTC: Maudie Price is coordinating the Post Drill Team competition.

d. Finance:

1.) Financial Records have been outsourced to Century Small Business in conjunction with the Finance Office overhaul. QuickBooks is being used for record-keeping. Century will have accurate monthly reports retroactive to 1 Jan 07. The January books are complete and a balance sheet is available on the back table. The company is working now on February through July 07. The Finance Officer will give a Post Financial Management Briefing to the General Membership before 1 Nov 07, which is the first anniversary of the external audit.

2.) Post operations are looking good, but there still are issues with expenses. We have $72. 5K in income and $79K in expenditures. We spent $20K on trees, and we have huge maintenance bills from 15 year-old equipment. The cost to replace the 20 ton unit, for example, is about $30K. We need to get an accurate assessment of building and equipment repairs, and budget for them. The Friday night dinners, monthly breakfasts, and lunch specials provide important opportunities to attract new members.

e. Chaplain:

1.) Maudie sent a get-well card to John Gerndt who has been in rehab after a fall that broke some bones. Comrade Tom Thiebaut is recovering from open heart surgery, and Roy Billet is recovering from digestive disorders. Please keep them in your prayers.

2.) Maudie has returned from the National Convention in Reno, where President Bush gave the keynote speech. She also attended the 17^th District Organizational Meeting, and she’s working with the Honor Flight program to bus veterans to the World War II Memorial on 8 Sep 07.

f. Service Officer:

1.) Maudie Price passed on a request for assistance from Patty Walton, the wife of Daniel Walton who died this month. Patty is asking for the Legion or the VA to purchase a name plate for her husband’s burial vault where his ashes will be placed. Ali is checking on entitlements and will get back to Ms. Walton.

2.) Bill Hurd has volunteered to replace Bob Paige as VA&R Chairperson. Past Commander Jimmy Jones has been organizing Post support for veterans in our local hospitals.

g. Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation: The Post is hosting the 14 Sep picnic at the D.C. VA Nursing Home. Hot dogs and hamburgers for 100 residents and their families will need to be purchased and picked up prior to the picnic. The VA hospitals need white socks, and volunteers are needed on 10 Dec to help pack 800 bags with donated items for hospitalized veterans.

h. Corporate Board:

1.) Rod Carlone stated that the Corporate Board will respond to the EXCOM letter concerning Suki Knarr’s contract after the issue is addressed at the Corporate Board meeting.

2.) Monument Realty, the County redevelopment group, addressed a Special Membership Meeting at the Post at 1930 on 27 Jun. The purpose was to present changes planned for land redevelopment in East Springfield. At the 21 Aug EXCOM meeting, a motion was made and seconded to invite Monument Realty to update the Corporate Board and the EXCOM on developments since the presentation at the 27 Jun Special Membership Meeting at the Post; following the update, the Corporate Board (CB) and EXCOM will inquire about options for restructure of Post property we cannot use. The inquiry is for information only and does not commit the Post or Monument Realty to any course of action. During discussion, an amendment was made and seconded for CB and EXCOM members to talk to business neighbors first (i.e. the Church, SUNOCO, etc.) about the status of their property before scheduling the second meeting with Monument Realty. The motion and the amendment were carried by unanimous vote.

i. Post Scripts: Sil Hanson is the new Post Scripts editor replacing Klaus Dahlke. The 15^th of the month is the submission date for articles. Ralph Nichols will be using the Post Scripts to compile the annual history.

3. Unfinished Business

a. The Memorial Day picnic with the VFW was well-attended by members of both Posts. Each Post contributed $571 to sponsor the event.

b. Commander Lipscomb was the narrator for ceremonies at the Korean War Memorial on 27 Jul. The war was fought from 25 Jun 1950 to 27 Jul 1953.

c. The Bridge Walk was held on Tuesday, 28 Aug at 7:30 PM. Our color guard and the VFW’s led the walk from FedEx Kinko to the Post.

d. In reference to a question regarding the Corporate Board letter to Doreen Lommel, Rod Carlone explained that her case with the Virginia Employment Commission is still under appeal. When the case is closed, Commander Lipscomb will send a letter inviting her to return to the Post.

e. In reference to the 3 Jul 07 GMM minutes, para 5.h., the House Rules Committee completed its review of the 2005 edition of the House Rules. Ken Hanson presented proposed changes to the EXCOM for approval. A motion was made and seconded to accept the proposed changes. Provisions were published in the August Post Scripts.

5. New Business:

a. A motion was made and seconded to appropriate $200 for bottled water for the Honor Flight veterans coming to the District on 8 Sep. The motion was carried by unanimous vote.

b. The Corporate Board has realigned parking spaces to make reserved places for the Commander and the GM. The Post also paid $90 for two stop signs from our parking lot to Amherst and Springfield Boulevards.

c. The Post will conduct a service on 11 Sep to remember those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the crash site in Pennsylvania.

d. Pat Peterson is looking for a guest speaker for the Veterans’ Day ceremony at the Post. Stu Bailey has found someone to sing the National Anthem.

e. Good of the Legion: A class is being offered 6 Oct 07 on the new tax laws. Commander Lipscomb will attend.

f. There being no further business, a motion was made and carried to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 2038.

Ali Nikolai Lew Lipscomb

Vice Adjutant Commander